Roots of Trouble
II Samuel 3
David had six sons during the 7 years he ruled Judah, and each by a different wife. The more I read about David, the more I realize he had a lot of faults. Absalom was one of the sons born to him (the third), and he was the son of a pagan princess, Maacah daughter of Talmai king of Geshur. David and his men had made inroads against the Geshurites while he was with Achish of Gath, and had utterly destroyed their cities and every living person. Apparently they did not destroy the entire people group of the Geshurites, because Absalom later runs to his Geshurite grandfather (a king) as an exile. How David came to marry a Geshurite princess, daughter of a pagan and enemy nation, the Bible doesn't record. The Bible forbade marriages with pagan wives, though not when they are captive virgins of a conquered nation. However, this must not have been the case, because her father was still alive and ruling a kingdom during Absalom's youth. It must have been an arranged political match.
Later, when David sins with Bathsheba, God says "from now on there will be trouble in your house." I don't think it is as if God stirs up trouble. The trouble is already there waiting to happen! David has disobeyed God's injunction to kings not to "multiply to themselves wives..." and has also disobeyed the injunction to avoid marrying heathen wives. David is a busy king (and as we will see, a permissive parent) and must leave the rearing of his sons to their mothers. David did well enough in taking his first wife Ahinoam, who was with him during all the time of his hiding from Saul, and perhaps we might say he did well in taking his second wife, godly Abigail (whose son, Nathan, by the way, we hear nothing of...perhaps he was simply a well-behaved and dutiful son?). But when he begins to multiply more wives to himself...simply because God has finally placed him in a situation where he is powerful and secure...he does wrong.
It is no wonder Absalom behaves as he does. He had been raised by a pagan princess, probably spoiled herself, and very beautiful (judging from Absalom's remarkable physical beauty). She apparently maintains close ties with her pagan father-king, since Absalom is on familiar enough terms to flee to him when he is banished.
It seems that God witholds the fruits of my bad decisions and disobedience many times. To quote Jim Berg in Quieting a Noisy Soul, the human heart is so toxic that God has only to give it up to itself in order to bring its destruction. We will probably never know all of God's mercy to us until we reach heaven!
David had six sons during the 7 years he ruled Judah, and each by a different wife. The more I read about David, the more I realize he had a lot of faults. Absalom was one of the sons born to him (the third), and he was the son of a pagan princess, Maacah daughter of Talmai king of Geshur. David and his men had made inroads against the Geshurites while he was with Achish of Gath, and had utterly destroyed their cities and every living person. Apparently they did not destroy the entire people group of the Geshurites, because Absalom later runs to his Geshurite grandfather (a king) as an exile. How David came to marry a Geshurite princess, daughter of a pagan and enemy nation, the Bible doesn't record. The Bible forbade marriages with pagan wives, though not when they are captive virgins of a conquered nation. However, this must not have been the case, because her father was still alive and ruling a kingdom during Absalom's youth. It must have been an arranged political match.
Later, when David sins with Bathsheba, God says "from now on there will be trouble in your house." I don't think it is as if God stirs up trouble. The trouble is already there waiting to happen! David has disobeyed God's injunction to kings not to "multiply to themselves wives..." and has also disobeyed the injunction to avoid marrying heathen wives. David is a busy king (and as we will see, a permissive parent) and must leave the rearing of his sons to their mothers. David did well enough in taking his first wife Ahinoam, who was with him during all the time of his hiding from Saul, and perhaps we might say he did well in taking his second wife, godly Abigail (whose son, Nathan, by the way, we hear nothing of...perhaps he was simply a well-behaved and dutiful son?). But when he begins to multiply more wives to himself...simply because God has finally placed him in a situation where he is powerful and secure...he does wrong.
It is no wonder Absalom behaves as he does. He had been raised by a pagan princess, probably spoiled herself, and very beautiful (judging from Absalom's remarkable physical beauty). She apparently maintains close ties with her pagan father-king, since Absalom is on familiar enough terms to flee to him when he is banished.
It seems that God witholds the fruits of my bad decisions and disobedience many times. To quote Jim Berg in Quieting a Noisy Soul, the human heart is so toxic that God has only to give it up to itself in order to bring its destruction. We will probably never know all of God's mercy to us until we reach heaven!
posted by Emily at 5:24 AM
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